Becoming A Leader

Becoming A Leader

This post is in response to an article:

From Low Self-Esteem to Leadership

http://businesstimezone.com/?p=9002

My Response

What most people don't realize about the definition of leadership, "Guiding Intent with Integrity" towards a goal, is that everyone is leading in some small way every day.  Whether it be giving directions to the bathroom, or taking the initiative to clear a jam from the copy machine.  

In the story provided, this example of leadership allowed an individual to become confident enough to give directions on more complicated subjects.  She built that confidence one small step at a time, by gaining support from followers, and by building a series of techniques and strategies that allowed her to become a master of the subject matter.

While she may not know the definition of leadership, she is executing it.  Hopefully at some point she stumbles across the definition, re-orients her training, and helps others become GREAT LEADERS.

Amenities, Necessities, and Rights

At what point (x% of the population) does a amenity become a necessity, or a right?

We the people condone the power to represent us to leaders on various issues.  These leaders debate many things: how best to use resources, which solution should be implemented, and when does the basic living standard need to be adjusted to accommodate something that was amenity, that has now become a need in order to function in society?

I’ve been a proponent that we don’t need leaders to represent us any longer as we have a network of computers where we can discuss and debate issues.  This however requires that everyone have the RIGHT to access information concerning the debate topic.  And, that’s where the issue of Amenity turns to Necessity and then whether or not it is a RIGHT!

Is the Freedom of Information a basic human right?

Should every person have access to the internet?

Should everyone have equal access to the internet?

Should the access to the internet be identical for everyone?

Should everyone be taxed in some way to allow everyone access to the internet?

How does internet access affect how people conduct business today?

How does internet access affect older businesses that are cash based?

How is internet access changing brick and mortar stores affected by global commerce?

How are publishers changing to accommodate people who are not purchasing books?

How is education changing to accommodate the ability to learn anything, any time, any where?

Should private companies partition out internet services, or should they managed through government contracts?

Should companies have the right to prioritize their content over others?

Should companies have the right to limit the amount of information you can see, how quickly you can see it, how long you can see it, or how often?

Do we need leaders?  Do we need people to represent us?  Do we need people to trumpet causes? (be the leader of a cause?)

How would the majority project a minority?

How would we know that a law had passed scrutiny and muster and be in effect - thus moved from consideration to now being the way things are?

Who would we address should a law unfavorably target a population who’s voice could not be heard / seen during the debates .. such as children, invalids, the elderly, or other populaces that require a 3rd party to intervene for them (known as advocates.)

But I digress, this blog is about leadership, and this topic is about, “When does an amenity that is used by 99% of the population become a necessities or a right, due to how entrenched it is in society?”

At what point (x% of the population) does a amenity become a necessity, or a right?

I could discuss this question from many different points.  Like for example, what if there is an abundant resource (Sun Light for example).  Should companies have the right to control it, or use it in any way they see fit, while restricting the average person’s use of it? Or even charge you for using it?  

There was an interesting quip by our leaders this past week that the general population should stop buying smart phones and instead pay for health care.  Which raises the same kind of debate, but from a different perspective.  

Do our leaders feel that having a smart phone is less important than having health care?  

Back to education, can the internet provide us with information about different out breaks and pollen counts that could be affecting our health?

Can the internet help us find a specialist for a specific treatment needed to resolve a medical problem?

Do you need the internet  in order to contact this specialist?

Do you need the internet to schedule an appointment with your general practitioner?

Do you need the internet to pay the medical bills?

Do you need the internet to help transfer medical information between providers?

Do you need the internet to signup for medical health insurance?

Does your internet access allow you to merge different holistic bits of information for your medical providers to see a larger picture of who you are, vs just seeing you at the time they see you.  

For example, can you link your fit bit into your medical providers health system so that it tracks how much you walk, excersize, enjoy sports, how often you sit, how much water you take in, your vitals during the day .... 

Do you use your smart phone to take pictures of different medial problems and forward those to specialists and general practitioners.

Are you able to link your grocery shopping customer loyalty program account to your medical provider so that they can follow your general eating habits?

Does your diabetic pump and sensor send information to your smart phone so that it helps you regulate your sugar levels properly?

What is a basic standard of living?

I submit that when something has become so entrenched into a society that it is needed to conduct your daily life, that it no longer is an amenity, but a basic necessity of life.  Aka, a right. 

Clean water, clean air, fresh food, electricity, telephone services, radio services, television services, and many more services have become a basic necessity of life.  To go completely off the grid would require us to chop wood for fires, hunt and gather, and perform many tasks that simply would destroy the environment, and reduce the population.

If you were in a star ship, what would your basic requirements be?  Would you be guaranteed work? Would you be guaranteed housing, education, social entertainment, fresh water, heat, light, electricity, internet, package delivery, take out, food, ... health care?  Or should these all be pay for play services?

6 quick and easy ways to connect with anyone

Motivating Followers

This is in response to the following article:

An Effective Leader Gives People a Cause in Which They Can Believe http://businesstimezone.com/?p=8838

My Response:

Leadership is defined as "Guiding Intent with Integrity" towards a goal.  The article speaks of two aspects of leadership, guidance and goals.  Studies on followers motivations, intrinsic or extrinsic, where discussed in, "Why motivating people doesn't work" by Susan Fowler. She argues that tapping into peoples intrinsic motivation is stronger than extrinsic motivation.  A shared motivation.

From this perspective, the statement, "The leader’s vision is often so compelling that followers put their requirements second to that of the organization. " is false.  In that, the followers don't put their needs second, it is that their motivations fall in line with those of the company.  

Millennials were told repeatedly, "You can do and be anything you want!".  The problem though is that everyone expected them to follow the same old work ethic that their forefathers did.  Which was, "Work hard and you will be rewarded". Millennials grew up with the fallacy of this statement.  Working hard, only rewarded the investors, while wages and living conditions continued to deteriorate.

With this mindset in place, Millennials, feel that the following statements are false, because they break the social contract of integrity.

- "It basically has to be something that gives the reasons why everything that they do each day matters and contributes.",

- "Wise leaders ensure that every single sacrifice made by followers are noticed and receive individual appreciation.",

- "The job of the leader in this case, is to inspire people to make difficult choices to support the vision, but also to inspire them to continue to repeat them."

If the motivation doesn't lead to a reward that is in line with Millennials motivations, no amount of discussion on the aspect of the larger picture will motivate them to help your company succeed.  Which is evident in the support that Bernie Sanders is receiving from the Millennial generation.  Basically, more Millennials than any other generation are saying, "NO, we won't help the company become rich at our expense!  We want a fulfilling opportunities that allow work life balance and help both the economy and ecology."

Body Transformation for Heavy Set People

Transforming your body requires time and effort.  It is accomplished through building lean muscle, tightening stomach and back muscles, and shrinking fat cells through consuming the fuel they store.  This article will focus on calorie burning, by combining a series of trans-formative programs together.

#1. BEING MINDFUL

Pay Attention! Reflect!  Celebrate!

There are four aspects to track when executing a transformational program: Self Image, Effort, Reflection and Celebration.

Transformations requires an understanding of the motivations behind the need to transform, the resistance to transformation, and why YOU don't want to transform.  Keeping a journal about this subject helps practitioners understand self doubts and judgments, work ethics and efforts, and things that encourage or discourage training.  

Study and reflect your journal and articles on transformational programs.  If one system doesn't work, try another, and then another. Figure out what works for YOU!  Maybe you need to do a combination of things that build muscle, build stamina, and maintain flexibility.

The ultimate progress journal will be how the body responds to training. With that said, tracking effort helps to determine what is working and not working.  When tracking program change effects, insure  changes are given a reasonable time frame.  In human body terms, changes range from 2 weeks to 3 months to a full year.

Journaling also helps identify when milestones have been reached.  Unlike SMART Goals, body transformation work requires Simple Manageable Achievable and Realistic goals.  Time is not a factor in transformation, since recognition of the achievement won't be realized till well after having achieved it.  It will be a realization, “I'm there and maintaining it!” Celebrate these moments with people who have helped you achieve this transformation.  

#2. CONSISTENCY / ROUTINE

The easiest way to be consistent is by building a daily routine and committing to it. It seems easy at first; then harder due to competition, boredom or both; and eventually becomes a natural part of who you are. Journaling thoughts demonstrates the individual struggle and progress being made to achieve your targeted transformation.  

There are cell phone apps that prompt individuals to do things during their day:  Take supplements. Eat a meal.  Work out.  Journal.  And so on.  They will also help you reflect on the progress to achieve this routine's consistency.  

#3. WEIGHT TRAINING

The theory is, the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn.  There are many programs that build muscle:  Body Building, Power Lifting, Olympic Lifting, Resistance Training, and Yoga .. just to name a few.  

Lean muscle burns more calories to maintain its activity. The best way of increasing lean muscle is, of course, weight training. Training that contains compound movements, vs isolation exercises, consume more energy, since more muscles are active during the exercise. An example is, heavy lifting with low rep ranges - six reps for presses and pulls. Higher rep ranges can be done when training calves, abs and arms.

There are many sites, sources, and books on the subject of weight training. It is recommend that a personal trainer be involved to demonstrate the techniques, and insure that they are being performed properly to receive the greatest benefit from the exercise and avoid injury.

As mentioned, a strong stomach and back (core) are an essential part in any body transformation, since this is the primary place the body stores extra energy.  A weak core will prevent compound exercises from being executed.  And, while situps are the main stay to a 6 pack stomach, planks and squats are the path to a strong core.

#4. INTERVAL TRAINING

Preparing for weight training requires a good warm up routine using a series of intervals. Interval routines are short burst of intense activity, like sprints. Initially light to warm up, then heavier and harder as the body responds positively to the exertion.  These routines should resemble the exercises to be performed.  Thus, slowly warm up the muscles and prepare them to manage heavy loads or work for longer durations.  

At the time of this writing, there is no good reference site that identify 1000's of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routines.  Therefore, create a search worm to find find these routines through various synonyms: HIIT, Aerobics, FITT,

When combined with your heavy lifting the body sweats for 1 to 2 hours after the work out.  In achieving this milestone, the transformation process will begin to show results.

#5. DIETING

In examining diet, there are four things to consider:  tracking what you eat, discovering what you like to eat, how often you eat and portion size.

Instead of tracking calorie intake, take pictures of the food you are eating.  This builds an immediate feedback loop through journaling that encourages healthier choices.  

Identify the things that you like to eat. To build a healthy diet plan, use several picture cook books to identify dishes you like to eat.  

Americans are accustom to eating 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.  This routine works against those trying to transform their body.  One reason why the body maintains a lot of energy stored in fat cells is due to inconsistent eating habits that make it hard for the body to know when needed nutrients will be available.  Thus, when sugars and nutrients are consumed, they are moved to fat cells almost immediately.

A better diet plan is a mix of the Adkin's diet and Hypoglycemic's diet plan.  In this plan, there is a reduction in sugar, an increase in protean, and it is served through a series of small meals.  The plan calls for 7 to 11 meals a day spaced every 2 hours:  breakfast, salad, protean, pasta, fruits & nuts, desert, salad, protean, pasta, fruits & nuts, and desert.  This plan substitutes simple sugars from starches for fruits and veggies and complex carbohydrates in pastas. Thus, as Dr. Adkins stated, “You are are loosing weight due to deficit in carbohydrates.”

Review the full list of supplements from a vitamin shop. Some diet plans call for supplements.  Some bodies are unable to produce them.  For example, if doing heavy lifting, DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – is a disabling / debilitating pain that is experienced after a workout and can last up to 2 weeks.  The causes and cures are varied. However, one supplement that seems to help is Glutamine.

When considering portion size, consider that the average person's stomach is the size of their fist.  The average meal (in a 3 meal a day plan) eaten, is 3 to 4 times that size.  This affects the how large a salad, a protean dish or fruit bowl will be.  The suggestion is, find a bowl that is the size of your fist, and use that to measure your meals.  

If you choose to eat every 2 hours, then adjust the daily routine to prepare the meals every morning.  This way, the meals are ready to go, and require fewer interruptions throughout the day to consume.

#6 WATER

There are many different things to consider when consuming water.  Should it be room temperature or ice cold vs boiling hot.  Should it be bottled or tap water.  Should it be run through a purifier or pulled from a mountain stream?  Or should it just be bottled from fresh snow?

On average, every human should drink at least 1 gallon of water to help their liver and kidneys function properly.  The easiest way to do this, is to sip water all day long.  Depending on the types of water you like, there are USB devices that keep the water at the temperature preference of your choice: Hot, Warm, or Cold.

What helps flush waste material from the cells as they worked and rebuilt.  Remember, when the body sweats it is expelling water that must be replaced. Drinking fresh water during this period helps. Keeping the body hydrated, will help muscles respond positively to exercise at all levels of intensity.

#7. INDICATORS

Many transformation plans suggest recording numbers.  As mentioned above, pay attention to how your body responds. It is a better indicator to how added time, exertion and weight are affecting your body.  Recording numbers can lead to a disheartening effect that SMART goals are not being achieved.  And, as mentioned above, SMART is not the goal, SMAR – Simple, Manageable, Attainable, and Realistic goals are the focus. Time is not a factor in transformation.

Weight measurements are accurate after 6 to 8 hours of fasting and purging. Expect daily measurements will go up and down.  However, when doing body transformations, the goal is to replace stored energy with muscle tissue, so weight changes may not be relevant in comparison to Body Mass Index and Muscle Mass.

While many obese people have to resort to liposuction and plastic surgery, it should be noted that the body maintains a consistent number of fat cells. Thus if they are sucked away through liposuction, they will return. Keeping them small is the goal.

Another indicator used is waistline.  This size is affect by eating late at night, which causes intestinal gas production that presses against the stomach walls, and causes the stomach muscles to lengthen in response.  Working the core, will reduce this effect. As will restricting food intake 6 hours prior to sleeping.

There are many more indicators: Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Sugar Levels, Energy Levels, Stamina, Boredom to name a few.  Find indicators that will that determine how the body is reacting to the level of effort being exerted.

Successors

As the old theory goes, only 1 can be your successor. But ... what if you taught 100s how to be your successor?

A problem with successors is that restricted knowledge becomes lost over time due to forgetting to transfer it, filtering out knowledge, those with the knowledge choose to die vs allow it to be misused, or the knowledge looses relevance .. as when technology dies.

In either case the knowledge has to be rediscovered. This rediscovery takes time and effort. The best way to secure it is in multiple.forms, and teach people how to.rediscover it when necessary.